Torquay United Fans Forum

Grockle

Craig or Peter couldn't have played any worse than 9 of the lads last night - and Peter is 71!!!!!

1 Niate
2 Winter

3 No One
4 No One
5 No one

Fred perry

No sour grapes the best side won.

You do/will have a problem though. I arrived at 6.45 and queued until 7.30pm to get my "ticket" from one booth to then go to a turnstile. When I looked behind me the queue was extending out of the car park to the dual carriage way. We brought 300+ fans - God help you when Notts County come. I joked with 2 of your very friendly stewards that they ought to make themselves unavailable that weekend . I would add that from my perspective your stewards were the most friendly and helpful ones that I have come across for many years

Talking to your fans the club is trying to promote online booking. The problem is that the committed fans will probably do this or have a season ticket. It is the casual fans that you will lose out on . I was behind 3 Solihull fans who were very pi555ed off. They don't know whether they are coming based on the weather, work commitments and whether the missus gives them a green card. Based on last nights car parking and queuing issues they wont be in a hurry to come back. That's 3 fans you have lost - multiply that by say 60 fans in total and that's almost £1000 lost per game or £24,000 per season.

SBG

There is an article in las months WSC (When Saturday Comes) about shirt names.

In it is states that Van Djik (as well as Mapay) had permission to change the names to their first names because of "family issues"

Don't know /it doesn't say what those family issues were so make of that what you will

SBG

Cant believe that David Graham never got a hat trick

It can all be a conundrum

I remember Ashley Barnes playing on loan with us - he couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo. Ok we were in Division 4


But if you had told me he would be bangng them in in the Premiership ( 3 levels higher)- I would have called the men in white coats to take you away to the funny farm

Lee Andrews

Fantastic goal against Kidderminster in a 5-2 win at their ground if I remember - from the halfway line.

I would add my comments.

Last week - after my father in laws funeral - I went to the ground to put a copy of the funeral service on his seat in the Bench so that his fellow supporters could see.

The club was empty but Geoff Harrop went out of his way to let me and my son in law in and took us around the ground. he couldn't have been more helpful and I will be ever grateful for that as he showed great sensitivity and he knew a lot about my father in law - never having met him - so I can only assume he reads the forums. He did however look flustered and stressed.

We criticise him - in some cases justifiably for decisions he made but regarding Clatk Osborne - I think we should take a step back.

The owners of Bristol Rovers, Swindon and Poole speedway have all been duped by CO in the past as well I cant help thinking that CO is a silver tongued con artist who has that extra-ordinary almost hypnotic ability - such that if you were in a room with him for long enough - you would sell your wife and children to him for some pipe dream . We have through Merse and Southampton Gull been made aware of his past but without people like that - and talking to CO about an area of business that we dont understand (and Geoff harrop is a football man not a business man) we could just as easily be duped,

Not saying this is true but at the end of the day there could be some merit in this and GH has certainly not ended up in a better position for bringing CO in - he too has fallen and I am not sure CO will be on GH's Christmas card list.

It is with some sadness that I have to report that – some 6 years after my original post -my father in law, Ian McPhail , passed away on Friday at the age of 96

Without recounting the long original post – feel free to re-read it – he never did manage to sit in his 5 year season ticket seat in Bristows bench that he bought for his 90th birthday 2 weeks before his stroke.

I did manage to get him to about 12 games in those 6 years – it would have been more but there were times when he wasn’t well or the weather wasn’t good – before there was a roof on the disabled area. Also quite difficult to arrange and carry out when I lived over 200 miles away – and always a major operation to get him to and from the ground.

The last game was Tranmere last season but it was pretty fruitless after that as his condition deteriorated and he lost all interest in the club and game – as he did with most things in the last 2 years.

He had been a season ticket holder since the late 60s – he sponsored games and players and balls in the past through his business – Poppins Restaurant – in the 70s and 89s. He shared a box with Tony Boyce and was on good terms with Frank O Farrell.

There was one moment of lucidity that he had some years ago when he wouldn’t stop talking about all things TUFC. One particular story -apparently he lived a few doors away from Alan Brown – the manager at that time – and – all the players regularily came in for a fry up of sausage, bacon, egg, black pudding and all the trimmings after training – with the manager as well!!!!!! How times have changed.

I believe he has bequeathed me his 200 shares in the club but I am sure that they are meaningless/worthless – it did seem to get him to each AGM and accounts each year.

In many ways I am glad that he became unaware of the clubs demise over the last few years as it would have upset him. It almost mirrored his decline

It is unfortunate that in days gone by – with all his connections with the club – that his passing would have got a mention in the programme but under the current regime they probably don’t know who the hell he is/was.

Anyway there will be one less fan. However – probably as revenge for me pinching and marrying his eldest daughter he converted me to being a TUFC fan and I will carry ensure that I continue the legacy and have a shout out on his behalf when I attend matches.

RIP Ian McPhail - 1922 - 2018

But don't we have a Head of Recruitment called Hedges - what role does he play in all of this and what are we paying him for?

Gulliball

Best post for a very very long time and I almost wish this was an epitath to the whole Nicholson saga and we could move on.

I would add one comment and that it is difficult in comparing Nicholson and Owers because they weren't on the same playing field

As an example I haven't seen Owers have to drive players on a team bus to away games and whilst it has been used to take the pi55 out of Nicholson it was a disgrace that the board let this happen. So by that I mean Nicholson was having to do things - distracting him from just managing which is all Owers has to do.

Chunkygull

A bit unfair. The football under Buckle under the first fan consortium took over from Roberts were good years. Play offs Wembley back in the league and play off at old Trafford. Those were good times and good football. By today's teams standards not just good but bloody brilliant times.

Yes but there is £2.00 in the kitty for TUST

Louis/Southampton Gull

I will try and do what suggested but if this proves difficult is there not some way - if I can get some contact details from Lee (confidential of course)that you could co-ordinate a Q& A session with some modern technology magic

I seem to remember a Q&A with Russell some years ago where it seemed seamless - board members posted questions and some time later they came back with Russells replies

Just want to ensure there is a backup plan

Perhaps I could persuade him to come down to TUFC- Boots and Laces to do a speaker evening raising money for TUST - just an idea

SBG

Firstly Louis - now sorted and back in the fold

I am attending my local golf clubs speaker evening in March - that's in Kenilworth in deepest darkest Warwickshire.

The event is a black tie affair and usually attended by 70 + blokes most of whom make me - at 58 - seem a mere young whippersnapper.

Into this mix comes lee Sharpe as the speaker and under my black DJ and bow tie I will be wearing my oldest TUFC shirt and a scarf. I hope to surprise him with the fact that their is a TUFC supporter where he probably least expects it and one who saw him play once for TUFC and lighten his mood amongst the coffin dodgers attending.

I hope to divert him from regaling about his times at MUFC and Leeds and get him to talk about his TUFC days.

Anybody have any pertinent questions they would like me to ask him

If you let me know I will comprise a list and present it to him - if he doesn't answer them all on the night I can only ask that he sends me a reply in the fullness of time so I can pass the answers back.

Alternatively this forum has had an ex player Q&A session and if someone - Louis ? - can tell me what to do/how the process works or what contacts details need to be exchanged to see if he would be amenable to a Q&A session I will try and facilitate it

SBG